Nine firefighters were injured in an explosion involving pressurized tanks on a truck in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, according to reports.
KABC reported that the explosion occurred shortly before 7 a.m. in the area of Alameda Street and Henry Ford Avenue when fire crews responded to a truck with pressurized cylinders on fire. Four firefighters were rushed to an area medical facility.
According to the Los Angeles Times, investigators worked to determine if the truck was powered by compressed natural gas or was transporting the tanks in the trailer bed.
According to the Associated Press, the involved vehicle was the tractor portion of a big rig that was fueled by compressed natural gas carried in two 100-gallon tanks, one of which exploded. The blast also caused a nearby transformer to explode, City of Los Angeles (CA) Fire Department Captain Erik Scott told reporters.
The explosion reportedly occurred adjacent to an industrial area that is separated from a neighborhood by a wide street and rail line, the Associated Press said.
In an update (video above), Captain Scott said two firefighters were critically injured, four with moderate injuries, and three with minor injuries, for a total of nine injuries. A total of 150 firefighters responded.
At least 10 L.A. firefighters injured in vehicle explosion in Wilmington
7 LAFD firefighters injured after explosion in Wilmington area
From LAFD: The Los Angeles City (CA) Fire Department responded to the 1100 block of North Alameda Street in the Wilmington area of Los Angeles at 6:58 AM on February 15, 2024. The first 10 firefighters arrived to find a semi-truck, with no trailer attached, on fire. Crews deployed hose lines to address the burning big rig tractor. Six minutes after arriving on scene, the incident took a disastrous turn.
The clean-air CNG-powered truck contained two 100-gallon tanks, pressurized to at least 3,000 psi, which were being exposed to fire. Crews applied water to the flames and nearly completed extinguishment, when catastrophe struck. One of the tanks exploded violently, immediately injuring nine LAFD firefighters. Crews quickly declared a Mayday on the radio for “firefighters down.” Some of the nearby firefighters were thrown dozens of feet from their location and knocked out temporarily. Some of the less-injured crew members scrambled to help the more severely injured.
Additional units were added to the incident. The first ambulance to arrive was able to fit the three most critical firefighters inside and depart for the local trauma center. Additional LAFD ambulances followed shortly afterward, eventually transporting a total of nine LAFD members, two of them were said to be in critical condition. Due to the severity of the injuries, one firefighter, a 37-year-old male and nine-year veteran of the department, was airlifted to a burn center for specialty care.
The remnants of the detonated cylinder was found hundreds of feet away. The remaining CNG cylinder shot flames for hours, slowly releasing the flammable gas contents after being damaged. LAFD Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Specialists responded, and crews on scene widened the radius of the “exclusion zone” to 500 feet, to keep responders and bystanders from being injured if a second blast should occur. Nearby neighborhoods and businesses were temporarily advised to remain in their homes, and later, assisted with evacuating until the second fuel cylinder was removed from the scene. A shelter was established at the Wilmington Senior Center at 1371 Eubank Avenue.
Hazmat teams continued monitoring the atmosphere, continually confirming that there was no toxic hazard in the air at any point. LAFD’s firefighting robot, “Thermite RS3,” responded and was able to apply water via remote control to cool the remaining cylinder, without putting any personnel at risk. Crews continued to keep pedestrians and motorists clear of the site throughout the day, while monitoring the scene.
Overall, over 150 firefighters responded to the scene.
